By Nathan Barton
Good morning, unless you are one of the people suffering from the mess in “Iraq” (Mespotamia), and you are NOT having good mornings, especially if you were the judge who convicted Saddam Hussein and sentenced him to hang. That guy is looking for his head right now, courtesy of ISIS. Gee, the folks in DC seem to be taking this to heart, and yet… Continue reading
By Nathan Barton
Do I want to see a “capitalist” economy “reestablished” in the Fifty States? Some recent on-line articles have discussed this. But actually (warning: heresy alert!!!), no. I don’t want to have a capitalist economy any more than I want to have a “liberal government” or be in a “church” or participate in a “democracy.” Yes, there is a kind of capitalism that still exists (or can exist) that is not “crony” capitalism, or corporatism, but too many people lump them all together. But I DO want to see a true free market (economy) established. And I do believe that (if we have to endure ANY kind of government) that I would rather have one that is classically liberal – that is, a minarchist libertarian organization (if I HAVE to have one). And no, I’ve not become an ungodly non-believer, but I am a member of an assembly, those called-out, an ekklesia and NOT a “kirk” or meetinghouse. Continue reading
By Nathan Barton
Good morning! On the road again, but some things to think about as we go!
Starting out with the election in the House of Representatives: As anticipated, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy became House Majority Leader as members of the GOP caucus selected the California Republican to replace Eric Cantor Thursday afternoon. AND as predicted by me and others: this means NO change at all to the hypocrisy and pathway to destruction of the GOP in Congress and elsewhere. The man seems to be a West Coast version of Cantor, and obviously knows where the bodies are buried. Continue reading
By Nathan Barton
Good morning, and may you enjoy a wonderful day, regardless of the news and events. If I’m counting right, this is my 500th column to be published in the new format of The Price of Liberty. So something special, first.
Mama Liberty, is it okay if I tout someone else’s column? (Of course!)
Knowing L. Neil (if not as well as I wish, seeing how I drive within five miles of his house three to six times a month!), I always read his columns, if for no other reason that it gets my heart rate up, and reminds me how many of his novels I’m behind on. Some are better than others (how WELL I know that feeling), and some we definitely disagree on. And some are, well, just awesome. Continue reading
By MamaLiberty
To recap: As great and wonderful as target and competition shooting truly are, training only for sport shooting leaves some dangerous holes in the fabric of what’s needed for self defense. If you carry a gun, you need to know and practice a great deal more than the NRA fundamentals. Part two continued the theme, with specifics regarding breath and hold control.
Trigger control and follow through are the last items on the fundamentals list. There are not as many differences between what is required for pin point target accuracy and good shooting in an emergency – except that having these habits cemented in your muscle memory is even more important if you are fighting for your life or that of someone you love. Continue reading
By Nathan Barton
Good morning! Oh, no!
How stupid are we – as Americans, as residents (or citizens) of the Fifty States? We allow a 60% majority of a mere 100 men and women to accept the nomination (by one man) of nine Nazgul, who then, by a simple majority of 5-4, can dictate to more than 300 million of us. Huh? That isn’t democracy, and it certainly isn’t a republic. It is STUPID. Not only that, but those 100 “Conscript Fathers (and Mothers)” often are elected by a minority of those eligible to vote for them, and at least theoretically (in a four-way race) only 25.00001% of that minority are necessary to win. Even in a two-person general election, only 50.00001% are necessary, which means that virtually HALF of the participating voters, and probably only about 1/4 or 1/5 of ELIGIBLE voters, decided which 100 people are sitting in the Senate. And it only takes 60 or 61 of them (and with some tinkering with the rules, as little as 50 or 51) to decide what lawyer in a black robe is appointed to the seat vacated when the last one died or retired. That is NO way to run a railroad. Which is why we get stupid things like this first story. Continue reading
By Nathan Barton
Good morning. After a VERY long week (2400 miles on the road, 12 hours giving training, plus dozens of hours of preparation and other work, dealing with family – including Father’s Day get-togethers and such), back in one place for a couple of days, at least, so a chance to get more commentary out to people today and the next few days!
Like a lot of other commentary the last couple of days, I want to look at Mesopotamia and the mess there, first. Continue reading
By MamaLiberty
Last time we looked at the difference between target/competition shooting and some potentially serious differences in a self defense situation. The fundamental of aiming, and how various alternative methods might come in very handy, is an important part of that difference because training for one might not give you all you need for the other.
Next on the list of fundamentals is “breath control.” There are several different methods used by most target and competition shooters, and any of them will help you obtain excellent scores if you practice them enough, but the same problem applies to breathing as to using the sights in an emergency. You are simply not apt to be able to control it very much, and one of the greatest dangers is forgetting to breath at all! A common response to shock, serious anger or fear is shallow breathing or hyperventilation. You don’t generally get to choose which, or any alternatives. Continue reading
Libertarian Commentary on the News, #14-25B: Threats and fears
By Nathan Barton
Good morning, as we enjoy the first full week of summer. Much of the Fifty State will enjoy warm days and a chance of rain (in the Black Hills, thunderstorms are likely the rest of the week). Nice, really.
For some folks, though, the summer is not so nice. Consider what KNBC News reports about 9 year old Spencer Collins of Leawood, Kansas, who had to take down his little free library, essentially a communal bookshelf, on Wednesday. The motto of the sharing center had been “take a book, leave a book,” but Collins learned there’s a lot less give and take in city government. Tyranny, especially local tyranny, knows no bounds. Why oh why do we put up with these petty tyrants, these control freaks? Continue reading →